TITLE:
Early Childhood Teacher Preparation: Using the Co-Teaching Model
AUTHORS:
Barbara F. Hartigan
KEYWORDS:
Early Childhood Special Education, Teacher Preparation, Co-Teaching, Coaching, Mentoring, Student Teaching
JOURNAL NAME:
Creative Education,
Vol.5 No.8,
May
22,
2014
ABSTRACT:
Previous research
shows that co-teaching during the student teaching practicum should be the model
used by colleges and universities. This researcher used an open-ended
questionnaire, a Likert-type scale survey, and individual conferences to
ascertain teacher candidates’, cooperating teachers’,
and university supervisors’ perceptions of the co-teaching model’s
benefits, or lack thereof. The twenty-nine student teachers surveyed represent
a private university and earned degrees in early childhood special education. The
teacher candidates, cooperating teachers, and university supervisors are hired
by the university and are experts in the aforementioned field of education.
Findings reveal that pre-teacher candidates, university supervisors, and
cooperating teachers all believe that mentoring during student teaching using
the co-teaching model is beneficial for both the pre-teacher candidates and
students in the classroom if proper professional development is offered and
continuous and ongoing reflection and planning take place.